Financial Aid Guide - Briar Cliff University

Satisfactory Academic Progress2013-2014 BCU Financial Aid Booklet | 13The Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, requires that eachstudent maintains satisfactory progress in his or her pursued course ofstudy to receive Title IV Federal Financial Aid. At Briar Cliff University,these standards are also applied to state and institutional programs.Students attending full-time have a maximum of five academic yearsto complete a program of study at BCU. Students will only receivestate funding for four academic years. If the student’s major requiredadditional completion time, a fifth year of institutional funding can beallowed.Academic Progress will be measured both qualitatively andquantitatively. A minimum GPA and a minimum number of credit hourscompleted in the academic year are requirements (see chart below)If a student does not meet thegrade point average requirementfor SAP, they will receive a Warningnotification for one semester.Students unable to achieve therequired grade point average aftera second consecutive semesterwill be placed on Financial AidSuspension. Students can also beplaced on Financial Aid Suspensionafter two semesters for notcompleting 70% of the hours theyattempted.End-of-SemesterGrade Point AverageRequirementsSemester 1Semester 2Semester 3Semester 41.51.751.902.0Students placed on Financial AidSuspension have the right to appeal the suspension. The suspensionform is mailed to the student to complete. The appeal will requirethe reasons for the suspension and an Academic Plan which must besigned off by the student’s Academic Advisor. The student will havea time frame to have the document completed and submitted to theFinancial Aid Office so a decision can be made. Student’s who aregranted approval will be placed on Financial Aid Probation. After theprobationary semester the student will either be in good standing orwill not be able to receive any federal, state or institutional funds untilthey are in good standing again.Eligibility can also be terminated when the credit hours required fora specific degree/program are earned or the student has attemptedgreater than 150% of the credit hours required for a specific degreeprogram.Transfer StudentsTransfer students will be assumed to be maintaining satisfactoryacademic progress at the time of admission. Transfer credits and GPAthat are accepted at Briar Cliff are counted toward the total attemptedcredit/cumulative GPA in determining satisfactory academic progresscompliance.Repeated CourseworkWhen students repeat a course, the most recent grade received is usedin the calculation of the cumulative GPA unless the student performsworse. In that case, the better of the two grades is counted towardcumulative GPA.Non-Credit CourseworkNon-credit coursework is not counted in the minimum creditrequirement. In the event that a student fails to successfully completecourses at the minimum level, the student will be placed on FinancialAid Probation. A student in this category may receive financial aid forone additional semester. If the student does not meet the minimumlevels by the end of the warning period, the student is consideredto be making unsatisfactory progress and is placed on Financial AidSuspension.Financial Aid Suspension means the termination of all financial aidexcept private loans. The Financial Aid Office evaluates the progressof each student according to these standards on an annual basis. If astudent is placed on Financial Aid Suspension, that student will havethe opportunity to appeal the suspension. A student will receivenotification of suspension and an Appeals Document. The appealscommittee will review the student’s request and notify the student ofits decision in writing.Changes in Academic LoadDuring the first week of each semester, called “Validation Week,”students will have an opportunity to change their registration or room/board plan with no financial penalty. After Validation Week, there willbe no adjustment to tuition or financial aid if the student drops a classor changes to a different room/board plan.Students who completely withdraw from the University may be alloweda refund on tuition, fees, room/board (if applicable). Federal and stateregulations require that all or a portion of the refund be returned tothe appropriate government aid programs. Refunds on behalf of thefederal aid recipients must be returned in the following order: FederalDirect Unsubsidized Loans, Federal Direct Subsidized Loans, FederalPerkins Loan, Federal Grad PLUS, Federal Direct PLUS, Federal Pell Grant,Federal SEOG, TEACH Grant, other Title IV aid.